The curtain is set to rise on the 11th edition of the prestigious Entertainment Expo Hong Kong on 23 March. The event continues through 19 April and comprises 10 spectacular events including three founding events of the expo − the Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (FILMART), the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) and the Hong Kong Film Awards Presentation Ceremony (HKFA).

(Front row, from left): Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) Executive Director Margaret Fong; Susie Ho, Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Hong Kong SAR Government; HKTDC Entertainment Industry Advisory Committee Chairman Terry Lai; and (back row) representatives from the 10 events

There are also six core events − the Hong Kong–Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF), the Hong Kong Asian-Pop Music Festival (HKAMF), the IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award, Incubator for Film & Visual Media in Asia Festival (ifva), the Asian VFX and Digital Cinema Summit, the Digital Entertainment Summit as well as the affiliated event TV World International Forum.

Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Susie Ho

At the press conference to unveil details of the Entertainment Expo, Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) Senior Service Promotion Manager Peggie Liu said, “The Expo brings to the world’s entertainment industry a platform which is not only diversified but also global in scale. It is the perfect meeting place for promoting products, discovering talents and doing business. The Expo has become an annual mega event, attracting entertainment industry players all over the world to come to Hong Kong.”

HKTDC Senior Service Promotion Manager Peggie Liu

The Entertainment Expo aims to encourage cross-industry cooperation and foster development of the entertainment industry through a variety of events:

Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (FILMART)

FILMART is one of the founding events of the Entertainment Expo Hong Kong. After nearly 20 years, this one-stop trading and networking platform has become Asia’s largest film market and one of the world’s top three events of its kind in terms of exhibitor numbers. This edition of FILMART will take place from 23 to 26 March at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, attracting more than 780 companies from over 30 countries and regions.

Other than major film companies in Hong Kong, many of them are first time exhibitors from abroad, including companies from the United Arab Emirates, Latvia and Macau. Also, Guangdong (Guangdong Motion Picture Industry Association) and Malaysia (Malaysia Multimedia Development Corporation, MDeC) film associations are setting up their exhibition pavilions for the first time. The major film exhibitors from overseas include UNIFRANCE and lle de France from France, UK Film from England, IFTA (Independent Film and Television Association) from the U.S., UNIJAPAN (Japan Association for International Promotion of the Moving Image), JETRO (Japan External Trade Organisation), SEICF (Sapporo Electronics and Industries Cultivation Foundation) and Okinawa Film Office from Japan as well as KOFIC (Korean Film Council), KOCCA (Korean Creative Content Agency), BIPA (Busan IT Industry Promotion Agency) from Korea and Vietnam Cinema Association from Vietnam. Industry players from the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Canada and Europe return to FILMART with sizeable delegations to promote their local entertainment products.

In this edition of FILMART, the Animation & Digital Entertainment World has attracted more than 170 digital entertainment companies to participate, over 30 of them from Hong Kong. The Business of Intellectual Property Zone (BIP Zone @FILMART) provides intellectual property consultation services while the Short Film Cafe will show award-winning works in short film production.Location World, a popular feature re-introduced at FILMART this year, will present film and TV support services that local film development offices provide for overseas production companies. Recommended shooting locations will also be introduced. Other attractions of FILMART include numerous screenings, press conferences, business matching meetings and networking activities. On top of these, there will be a series of thematic conferences on hot topics such as − Find Your Opportunities in the Media Convergence Age, The New Silk Road of Asia’s Film Industry: Challenges, Opportunities and Partnership, Digital Entertainment Summit: T for Transmedia: Immersive Storyworld and A New Way of Audience Engagement, TV World 2015 International Forum: The Rise of TV Streaming – Opportunities and Challenges and Making Asian Films in America.

TV World International Forum

Another focus of attention is TV World, which enters its ninth year with more than 360 exhibitors. This year, the TV World International Forum becomes an affiliated event under Entertainment Expo. With the theme − The Rise of TV Streaming: Opportunities and Challenges. Leading figures from the industry will share their insights and offer expert tips on how to leverage the rise of TV streaming to create spin-off opportunities and tackle the possible challenges.

Hong Kong-Asia Financing Forum (HAF)

The HAF is an established film-financing platform in Asia that runs concurrently with FILMART (23-25 March). The three-day event provides Asian filmmakers with opportunities to explore co-production ventures for their upcoming projects with top film financiers, producers, bankers, distributors, buyers and decision-makers of film foundations.

Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF)

The HKIFF (24 March to 6 April) features screenings of more than 280 films from 50 countries and regions. They include Sylvia Chang’s latest release, Murmur of the Hearts, and 12 other works by the celebrated director, producer and actress who is also this year’s Filmmaker in Focus.

Hong Kong Film Awards Presentation Ceremony (HKFA)

The 34th edition of the HKFA will be held on 19 April at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre to present 19 awards to local film professionals in recognition of their outstanding achievements. HKFA is highly regarded as the professional award most representative of Hong Kong.

Incubator for Film and Visual Media in Asia (ifva)

Now in its 20th edition, the ifva is a cradle and a driving force for the promotion of short films and media arts in Hong Kong and Asia. Finalist and top-rated films from this year’s ifva, which was held from 10 February to 3 March, will be screened during the expo.

Hong Kong Asian-Pop Music Festival (HKAMF)

For the music industry, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (Hong Kong Group) Limited will stage the fifth edition of the HKAMF on 27 March to promote music culture and build a cross-market platform for the music and media industry in Asia. It continues the tradition of inviting music superstars from seven Asian countries/regions, namely Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore to perform and promote cultural interflow.

IFPI (Hong Kong Group) Ltd Chairman Ng Yu (centre) introduced details of this year’s Hong Kong Asian-Pop Music Festival. 

IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award

The 13th edition of the IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award, which was held on 11 March, saw leading singers, composers and record companies honoured for their hard work and achievements over the past year.

Asian VFX And Digital Cinema Summit

To promote digital entertainment, the 8th Asian VFX and Digital Cinema Summit will be hosted on 25 March. Speakers from Hong Kong and other Asian countries will shed light on digital film post-production and the latest developments in the installation of digital cinema technology, including sound systems such as Dolby Atmos, Auro 3D and 4K − high frame rate projection system and 4K post-production workflow. Recent 3D movies will be shown and their production technology and workflow introduced.

Digital Entertainment Summit

The fifth edition of the Digital Entertainment Summit (25 March) is jointly presented by the HKTDC and the Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Association. The theme for this year’s forum isDigital Entertainment Forum – T for Transmedia: Immersive Story World and A New Way of Audience Engagement. Jeff Gomez, the transmedia producer for Avatar, Transformers & Halo, will also speak at the forum. The forum seeks to keep stakeholders abreast of the latest developments in digital technology.

Citywide Promotion

The theme of the Entertainment Expo Hong Kong is Get into the Scene, which highlights the event’s goal of fostering the development of Hong Kong’s entertainment industry. To encourage public participation in the event, a citywide campaign has enlisted the support of local cinemas, retailers and the food and beverage industry to provide various promotional offers to movie lovers.

This year, the Entertainment Expo will team up with the Hong Kong Theatres Association Ltd. and the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades to launch promotional activities under the slogan − Enjoy Great Movies, Enjoy Special Offers. The public can receive a 10 percent discount at participating cinemas across Hong Kong and special offers at over 400 participating retail outlets.